Process of destructively distilling bitumen



July 26,1932. EGLQFF 1,868,738

PROCESS OF DESTRUCTIVELY DISTILLING BITUMEN Original Filed Dec. 50, 1925Patented July 26, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT orrica GUSTAV EGl-LOFF, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO UNIVERSAL OIL PRODUCTS COMPANY, OFCHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF SOUTH DAKOTA PIROCESS OFDESTRUCTIVELY DISTILLING EBITUMEN Application filed December 30, 1925,Serial No. 78,297. Renewed .A prfl 11, 193-1."

This invention refers to a process of destructively distillingbituminous materials,

' and refers more particularly to such matesolve out of the bituminousmaterial as much as feasible of its hydrocarbon constituents,-

and then subject such constituents to cracking conditions while under asubstantial vacuum.

In order to more clearly understand the present invention, I haveshowinthe accompanying drawing, which is a somewhat diagrammatic sideelevational view, partly in vertical section, and with parts brokenaway. Referring to the drawing, 1 designates a furnace in which ismounted the coil 2. To the inlet side of the coil 2 is connected a feedline 3 leading to feed pump 4 connected to any suitable source of rawoil supply. The delivery side of the coil is connected to trans- I ferline 5 having throttle valve 6 to a chama 25 having throttle valve 26,to the top of re-- her 7 which may in a sense be called a dissolvingchamber, which chamber 7 is mounted in a suitable furnace 8 providedwith manholes 9 and 10, in which may be inserted the coal or otherbituminous material. per end of the chamber 7 is connected by deliveryline 11 having throttle valve 12 to a reaction chamber 13, whichreaction chamber 13, may if desired, be mounted in a suitable furnace14, whereby it may be externally heated. The chamber 13 is provided withsuitable manholes l5 and 16, liquid drawoif pipes 17 controlled bysuitable throttle valves 18, and also at its upper end with a vaporoutlet pipe 19 having throttle valve 20, which pipe leads to a refluxcondenser 21. The upper part of the dephlegmator is connected by vaporoutlet (pipe 22 having throttle valve 23to water con enser 24, andthence to pipe ceiver. 27. This receiver 27 is provided with liquiddrawoif pipe 28 having throttlevalve 29, gas outlet pipe 30 havingthrottle valve 31. To the pipe 30 is connected a vacuum j' ,and. moreparticularly on that The upthe arrangement being such that a bemaintained 9n various parts part of the system beyond the transfer line5, although if desired, the vacuum may be maintained beyond the valve 12in the line 11; I

The lower end of the dephlegmator is provided with a drawoff pipe 33 forthe reflux condensate, which pipe has throttle valve 34',

feed line 3 may be in whole or in part, diverted through the line 44having throttle valve 45, the upper part of which line 44 delivers theoil into the dephlegmator 21 as shown.

The process may be carried out as follows: The bituminous materialcontaining hydrocarbonaceous constituents as for example, natural orartificial asphalts, tars, coal, peat or the like, is charged into thedissolving chamber 7. There may be a plurality of chambers if desired,which may be operated alternately or in multiple. The petroleum oil, asfor example, gas oil or fuel oil, is heated in the coil 2 to atemperature of say 900 F and a pressure of say 750 pounds. This oil ispassed into the bituminous body into the chamber 7, which chamber 7 mayor may not have been previously heated, and which chamber is likewisepreferably maintained under a substantial pressure, as for example 750pounds, although in some cases it may be desirable to slightly reducethe pressure, so as to subject the material to the .action of bothliquid petroleum and petro- :leum vapors. The action of the heated pevtroleum both distills and dissolves out hydrocarbonaceous materialcontained in the I and the vapors generated, pass into the dephlegmatorwhere the heavier or insulliciently cracked portions thereof arecondensed and drawn out of the dephlegmator through the action of thepump 39, Where they may be returned to the system for further cracking,if desired. The oil and Vapors in the chamber 13 may be maintained at atemperature of say 600 F., as they pass into the pipe 19.

vaporization of the more or less volatile constituents can take place atthis relatively low temperature because of the fact that the vacuum pump32 Will be so operated as to maintain a vacuum of at least 15 to 25inches in those parts of the system beyond the valve 12.

The distillate in the receiver will be a mixture of cracked petroleumoil, and cracked hydrocarbonaceous constituents from the bitumen, asWell as perhaps some hydrocarbonaceous constituents which will distillofi, This distillate will contain nitrogen and phenolic compounds, thelatter being particularly desirable as anti-knock products for motorengines.

I claim as my invention:

1. A continuous process for producing a low boiling point distillatefrom hydrocarbon liquids and solids capable of destructive distillation,comprising maintaining a mass of hydrocarbon solids, under crackingconditions of temperature and a superat ospheric pressure, in anenlarged zone, separately heating hydrocarbon liquids, su stantiallyfree from hydrocarbon solids, to a racking temperature under asuperatmospheric pressure, introducing the hydrocarbon liquids, while ata cracking temperature, to said mass of hydrocarbon solids, to dissolvesubstantial portions of the carbonaceous material therefrom, removingthe hydrocarbon liquids and the dissolved carbonaceous constituentsseplit) till

arated from said mass of hydrocarbon solids from said enlarged zone, andsubjecting such removed material, while in commingled form and at a hightemperature, to the action of a vacuum which is adequate to efiect areduction in pressure sufiicient to bring about substantial vaporizationof said removed materials.

2. A continuous process for producing a low boiling point distillatefrom hydrocarbon liquids and solids capable of destructive distillation,comprising maintaining a mass of hydrocarbon solids, under crackingconditions of temperature and a superatmospheric pressure, in anenlarged zone, separately heating hydrocarbon liquids, substantiallyfree from hydrocarbon solids, to a cracking temperature under asuperatmos heric pressure, introducing the hydrocar on liquids, while ata cracking temperature, to said mass of h drocarbon solids, to dissolvesubstantial portlons oi the carbonaceous material therefrom, removingthe hydrocarbon liquids and Leeavee the dissolved carbonaceousconstituents separated from said mass of hydrocarbon solids from saidenlarged zone and subjecting such materials, while in commingled formand at a high temperature, to the action of a vacuum which is adequateto eil ect a reduction in pressure suflieient to bring about substantialvaporization of said removed materials, subjccting the vapors evolvedfrom the commingled hydrocarbon liquids and carbonaceous materialsdissolved from the hydrocarbon solids, While under a vacuum, to partialcondensation, to separate therefrom those fractions having a higherboiling pointthan the boiling point oi the desired product, and unitingthe condensate separated from the vapors with the hydrocarbon liquidsbeing separately subjected to cracking conditions of temperature andpressure, to supply a substantial quantity of the hydrocarbon liquidstreated in the process.

3. A process for treating hydrocarbon liquid and solid bituminousmaterial which comprises introducing the solid material to an enlargedzone, separately heating the liquid to cracking temperature under asuperatmospheric pressure adequate to retain a substantial portionthereof in liquid phase, then discharging the thus heated liquid, Whileat cracking temperature and While a substantial portion thereof is stillin liquid condition, into intimate contact with the solid material insaid enlarged zone, maintaining said enlarged zone under conditions oftemperature and superatmospheric pressure adequate to cause the heatedliquid to dissolve hydrocarbon constituents out of the solid material,removing the resultant solution from said enlarged zone and introducingthe same to a second zone maintained under vacuum to effect substantialvaporization of the solution therein, and removing and condensing thevapors from said second zone.

GUSTAV EGLOFF.

